Posted on 03/24/2008 9:55:48 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Oregon man's property ransacked after Craigslist hoax
Monday, March 24, 2008
Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Ore. -- A pair of hoax ads on Craigslist cost an Oregon man much of what he owned.
The ads popped up Saturday afternoon, saying the owner of a Jacksonville home was forced to leave the area suddenly and his belongings, including a horse, were free for the taking, said Jackson County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan.
But Robert Salisbury had no plans to leave. The independent contractor was at Emigrant Lake when he got a call from a woman who had stopped by his house to claim his horse.
(Excerpt) Read more at kgw.com ...
>>I’m getting the sense that the reason he is so interested in pinning the blame on CL is that he would be the type to fall for it.<<
I’m thinking he also may work for print media.
Some people here ignore reason in a way that certainly suggests they have skin in the game.
>>You know I read on the internet that the IRS and the income tax were illegal. MEGoody, try this, stop paying taxes, then when the IRS goons come to haul you away to prison, you can tell them that you don’t think you should be prosecuted because you read something on the internet that said you didn’t have to pay taxes, and then when they laugh, you can tell them fine, but that you shouldn’t be prosecuted until Al Gore is prosecuted since he created the internet.<<
Priceless. You nailed it.
Funny thing is, I think one of them may be right, but I aint gonna bet the rest of my life on it. ;)
bump
Craigslist is free. It doesn’t cost anything to post an ad.
I used CL too, to promote my business and for great deals on some things, furniture etc. When you place an ad, it very clearly states you are responsible for content. I don’t think CL is any more responsible for content than the local newspaper for their classifieds. They don’t investigate every ad that comes in, their job is to print it. CL’s job is to host the site. The person who put that on their - and I hope they find him/her - is the one who should be prosecuted. And to a lesser degree, those that came and took without talking to someone first.
So if place an ad in the local newspaper for a great deal on a car and am able to sell it - the newspaper should be held liable when it comes to light that I stole the car??? How do you figure?
ping
When did I say anything about suing CL?
The newspaper knows your identity because you paid for it with a credit card. Furthermore they will not let you print anything you want in their paper.
I think it is pretty easy to identify the megaphone user. He/she is the one making all the noise.
No, what you are defending is anonymity to those who have committed a crime. The crime is fraud and it is federal offense because it was committed over state lines. CL is in danger of adding and abetting if they do not do everything in their power to bring the criminals to justice.
This is not about free speech. There exists plenty of avenues for free speech. How many political speeches are on CL? Zero. So why did the criminals use CL instead of the Blade or the City Paper? Because even those leftist rags have the good sense to verify the ad applicant's info. I can only hope you never find yourself in the same position the next time you go on vacation. Forget the No Trespassing signs, the perps will simply take them down as soon as you leave the house.
You didn’t. Sorry about that.
Sued = criminally prosecuted
>>1. I said nothing about suing CL.<<
No you didn’t. I meant criminally prosecuted, not sued. Sorry about that.
>>2. Does McDonalds do business any differently after that suit? Yes, they warn people about how hot the coffee is.<<
...which is what CL already does regarding the risks of using their service.
>>3. No one used the coffee as a weapon to inflict harm on another.<<
They do all the time. And it can cause serious burns to the face especially.
>>I think it is pretty easy to identify the megaphone user. He/she is the one making all the noise.<<
But what if they duck out and successfully escape, leaving only the megaphone with no fingerprints? Should the megaphone company be liable for their actions?
>>CL is in danger of adding and abetting if they do not do everything in their power to bring the criminals to justice.<<
With that I agree. And so does CL. And what is within their power? They can easily supply the email address attached to the ad. Of course they are not responsible for how valid it is.
The problem is that until it is determined that there was a crime committed by the ad, there is no probable cause and no legal responsibility for CL to fully identify their ad posters. Nor should there be.
The rules are different once it is determined that a crime has allegedly been committed. But until that distinction has been made, they are no more responsible than a newspaper would be if the same ad was run there and the guy even gave his phone number - which went to a TracFone.
Craigslist is extremely responsible about warning potential customers - frankly, for their own good. So is Smith and Wesson. The problem is that if a custome of either company uses the company’s product to intentionally harm another, you are barking up the wrong tree trying to place responsibility on the company. It is one of my core beliefs and the foundation upon which all my posts here rest.
If a product is made for the sole purpose of harming innocent people, well, that is a horse of a different color.
A certified crazy neighbor sold our house in Vallejo, CA in 1967...We found out about it when the people showed up to move in...
>>This is not about free speech. There exists plenty of avenues for free speech.<<
So, with that logic would you mind if the government shut down FreeRepublic?
>>How many political speeches are on CL? Zero.<<
You must not spend much time there:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/pol/
>>So why did the criminals use CL instead of the Blade or the City Paper? Because even those leftist rags have the good sense to verify the ad applicant’s info.<<
It is easier with CL, no doubt about it. But it is possible with the others. But then, that misses the whole point, which is: The very power that CL has is why the perps were so effective, and the lions share of that power is used for good, just as with guns, but just because a guy shoots up a school lunchroom does not mean we must remove the guns from the law abiding citizens. It means when we DO find someone that harms others with this power we do everything we can to bring them to justice, just like in the old days. But we still allow law abiding citizens to own guns without even registering them. It can make it difficult to find a criminal sometimes, but such is the price of freedom.
Same applies here. This simply does not happen often enough to start limiting freedom.
>>I can only hope you never find yourself in the same position the next time you go on vacation. Forget the No Trespassing signs, the perps will simply take them down as soon as you leave the house.<<
I further hope I never get hit by a drunk driver, but I am against sobriety checkpoints even though it may save my life. I also hope I am not shot by a robber, but I still believe gun ownership (without registration) is constitutionally protected.
IOW, I value freedom over security.
No one used the coffee as a weapon to inflict harm on another.
They do all the time. And it can cause serious burns to the face especially.
LOL, Yes, just the other day I was at Dunkin Donuts and the cashier came at me with a whole carafe, yelling "Allah Akbar!"
I hear Bin Laden is planning his next strike at Starbucks nationwide.
>>A certified crazy neighbor sold our house in Vallejo, CA in 1967...We found out about it when the people showed up to move in...<<
I thought CL started in Chicago?! ;)
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